Minister hails investment in Midsteeple Quarter

MORE details about the future of the Midsteeple Quarter have been shared, following a visit from Business and Employment Minister Richard Lochhead. He toured The Standard, the society’s flagship High Street development of homes last Thursday, and heard about work underway to plan for the redevelopment of five other buildings which Midsteeple Quarter has taken into community ownership. Which includes a feasibility study into the options for the future of three buildings at 111-119 High Street. The society also hopes to complete the transformation of 109 High Street (The Bust Stop) as well as 51 Bank Street - where it has planning permission for four flats. Mr Lochhead said afterwards: "The Standard is a fantastic example of what community-led regeneration can achieve. It has brought new homes, business space and community facilities to the heart of Dumfries - breathing new life into a derelict site and creating somewhere people can live, work and come together. "Through our £4.8 million investment, we helped make this possible. "To build on successes like this, we are investing £52 million in community-led regeneration projects in 2026-27. This will revitalise derelict sites, transform town centres and boost economic opportunities across Scotland." The feasibility study is due to begin in April. It will include a period of community engagement and consultation over the summer, to ensure that Midsteeple Quarter’s community members can have a key say in how the plans for the three buildings are taken forward. Midsteeple Quarter chairman Robert Richmond added: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister and bring him up-to-speed with our work. It was good to chat through the tremendous opportunities that we see for community ownership to transform our town centre, as well as the challenges we face. “We will be using the lessons learned from the creation of The Standard to shape the next stages of revitalising Midsteeple Quarter to help create a stronger, fairer and more sustainable High Street.”